To Sleep Perchance To.. Sleep

My babies aren't sleepy.... well not the 12 hours a night from birth sleepy that I am pretty sure I ordered anyway. Iz didnt sleep through the night til she was 9 months. M seems to be intending to match or even outdo her. I am not going to use this time to complain though.. if that's what you're into just go in search of any woman (or man) that appears to have been bedazzled with vomit, smells a tad sour, and has hair a la kurt cobain... it is likely they are a new parent and will have no end of woes for your eager ears. What I do want to share is some funnier moments instead.

guess someone needed a nap!

Mason doesn't hate going to bed so much. He is usually quite good at nodding off without major incident. It is the night when he truly shines. These days he likes to roll on to his tummy. He can roll back but chooses not to. Instead he raises his whole body so that his little head peers over the crib like some oversized less furry meerkat  and shouts for help. This often leads to a longer crying session because naturally he is tired and should be asleep rather than performing animal impressions and gymnastic routines throughout the night. I don't agree with letting babies cry on their own, but at the same time I want him to figure things out for himself so have taken to offering verbal encouragement and reassurance from my bed next to his. After a while I often resort to singing...music, so I hear, calms the savage beast so surely it should work on a disgruntled baby. The other day it struck me though... what must be going through his little head when I burst into song?.... 'thank goodness for that mom - I thought you were never going to figure it out- of course I woke up at 3 am for  your unenthusiastically mumbled rendition of 'hush little baby'- you must be psychic- glad you worked it out- i'll jut nod off now. Imagine as an adult if you repeatedly beg your friend or loved one for a glass of water to soothe your dry throat only for them to break out in a rendition of 'hit me baby one more time' again and again instead. Occasionally it seems to do the trick though, which I guess means either a) he has realized the futility of his endeavor b) I am just that good at singing or c) my version of hush little baby which includes a tommy gun scares him into submission. Whatever it may be I think singing will have to be kept as a last resort from now on. 

Like I mentioned Iz wasn't the biggest fan of bedtime. She has since matured and , I hope, through my hours of patience and caring reassurance (otherwise known as saying shhhh sleepy time' a million times while sitting in the dark) she now is much better. Thankfully she seems to have given up on sleepwalking into her curtains and standing crying while we fumble in the dark trying to find her. These days she will often go off to bed quite merrily, blowing kisses, waving goodnight, saying bye bye. It really is quite sweet. Every so often though she likes to mix things up. Our usual routine is to say goodnight to daddy, head into her room, switch off the lights, put on her sleeping bag and cuddle for a minute or 2 to relax before bed. This ordinarily goes of without a hitch, but recently she has decided to add a little fun to the proceedings. For instance last week we had reached he cuddling stage, calmly listening to the crashing waves from the noise machine, warm and cozy, the only movement the rising and falling of our rib cages... when all of a sudden Iz turns and in a volume usually reserved for ring announcers and town criers, yells 'kablaghlala' right at my face before instantly resuming her previous position and nodding off to sleep! Half scared witless, half needing to laugh out loud I gently placed my little lunatic in bed and left somewhat bemused. I wrote it off as a one off. Maybe a consequence of an eventful evening, but then a few nights later we made it as far as the lights off stage when in the darkness I feel something wet and icky on my cheek...then my forehead ... then my nose, in quick succession. It took me a couple of seconds to realize I was being licked! As before it was over in a flash and off Iz went to bed merry as can be leaving me once again confused ... and this time ... sticky.
Needless to say when bedtime comes I have decided to expect the unexpected... I just hope she hasn't stashed a custard pie or two in there while I wasn't looking!